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Q. I can’t stand the idea of apps tracking my location. I don’t need all of my apps knowing where I am at all times.
But I do want some apps to be able to know my location, such as maps and weather apps. Is there a way to block location tracking for each app individually or do I have to turn location tracking on and off for my entire iPhone?
When I first set up my iPhone, I was asked for permission by a lot of apps but I don’t remember which apps I gave permission to, especially for location tracking. I probably need to change some of those permissions, but I don’t know how to find them or turn them off.
Can The Wonder of Tech help me see which apps I gave location tracking permission to and turn off some of those permissions?
A. Absolutely! The Wonder of Tech is delighted to help.
Yes, you can definitely turn off location tracking for each app on your iPhone. In fact, you should review your app permissions regularly to make sure they match your best interests. By turning off location access for apps, you can preserve your privacy and extend the battery life of your phone
You’re right, some apps must have location tracking permission to work, such as maps and weather apps. But many apps don’t need your location, such as gaming apps. Other apps, such as social media apps, might use your location for your convenience so you can tag photos and posts easily.
You are in control of which apps have permission to track your location. You can also control whether individual apps have access to your precise location.
First, you should find out which apps have permission to access your location. Then you can decide whether you want to continue to allow that access and whether those apps need to know your precise location.
How to See Which Apps Can Track Your Location
It’s easy to find out which apps are tracking your location.
But how can you know which apps track your location? You can check Settings to see a list of apps that can track your location and which apps have tracked your location recently.
On your iPhone, open the Settings app, then scroll down to Privacy. Tap Privacy, then Location Services.
You can swipe the switch to turn Location Services to Off for all apps. But you may want to give location permission to some apps so your photos can show location information and so you can get directions, find the closest business, and find your iPhone if it’s lost.
Instead of turning off Location Services for all apps, you can check the list of apps in Location Services to see which ones have access to your location.
To the right of each app listed in Location Services, you’ll see options such as:
- Never
- While Using
- When Shared
- Always
How to Turn Off Location Tracking for All Apps
You can turn off location tracking for all apps on your iPhone quickly and easily. You can shut down your phone, put your phone in airplane mode, or go to Settings => Privacy => Location Services => Off.
But you probably want to use location tracking for some of your apps.
How to Turn Off Location Tracking for Individual Apps
When you’re checking which apps have permission to access your location, you may want to change your permissions. If you see any permission for apps that don’t need to access your location, you can easily turn off location tracking. You can also change the permissions to better fit how you will use the app.
To turn off location tracking or change permissions, tap the name of the app in Settings => Privacy => Location Services.
On the next screen, you’ll see options for location access for the app. Tap the option that works best for you.
If you realize later that your app isn’t working as well with the location option you chose, you can always change it later.
Below the permission options is an explanation from the app developers about how location access will be used.
The app may also inform you that your location will be shared with third parties.
Based on the app’s explanation of how your location will be used, you may change your mind about what, if any, location access you’d like to give the app.
Precise Location
You can also decide whether you’d like to allow an app to track your precise location or your approximate location. For some apps, you may want to turn off Precise Location so only your general location is shared with the app.
You may want to give Precise Location permission for a map app to get more accurate directions. But perhaps a weather app doesn’t need to know your precise location.
Precise Location can be found below the app’s explanation of how your location information will be used. (You’ll only see the Precise Location switch if you’ve given the app location permission.)
Swipe the Precise Location switch to Off if the app doesn’t need to know exactly where you are.
After you decide to give location permission to an app, you can switch Precise Location on or off, depending on how the app will use your location information.
How to See Which Apps Have Been Tracking Your Location
Your iPhone alerts you when your location is being tracked. If you see a blue arrow at the top of your iPhone screen, your location is being tracked by an app.
When you check Location Services in Settings, you may see arrows next to some of the apps in the list.
If you see a solid purple arrow next to an app, that means that the app has accessed your location recently. A hollow purple arrow next to an app means that the app may have accessed your location under certain conditions. A gray arrow means the app has accessed your location within the past 24 hours.
Your Thoughts
Have you checked which apps have permission to access your location? Were there any apps whose location permission surprised you? Have you turned Precise Location off for any apps?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
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*Map image (edited) via Shutterstock and PicMonkey Pro
Very helpful! I definitely don’t like to have my location services on for so many apps.
Hi Suchot, You’re not alone. Yes, we should only share our location information when it benefits us, not when the developer is the only one who benefits. And when you share your location information, you don’t have to share your exact location. By taking control of which apps have access to your location, you can take better control of your privacy.
I only choose selected apps to share my location. If not necessary for the app then I do not share.
Hi Pronk, Your approach to sharing your location information with apps is very wise. No need to share your location information if it isn’t necessary for the app to work!
I simply go to privacy and then disable location services for certain apps, or you can disable location services for all apps entirely, this is better option because it provides more privacy, plus if you ever need location you can enable it only while using the app, so that;s great your iphone will only use location service when you use certain map app (or whatever app.
Hi, Yes you certainly could disable location services for all apps. But if there are apps you need frequently that require location services, such as weather or map apps, enabling location services every time you use them could quickly become cumbersome.